When the moon rose high in the sky for the second time, its gentle white light blanketed all of Tesham Mutna, and the frenzied roars that had spread terror throughout the ruins finally ceased. Only the autumn cicadas remained, chirping freely and ornamenting the silence of the night.
Victor opened his eyes and once again found himself looking into Regis's gentle gaze. A few bloodshot veins still lingered in the whites of his eyes, but there was no doubt that he had regained his reason.
"I'm back, Mr. Victor Corion." His dark eyes were deep and calm.
Victor's blue eyes were clear and bright.
"Welcome back, Mr. Emiel Regis."
With a series of clicks, the witcher unlocked the cage and helped the weak, limp higher vampire out of the birdcage, moving him to a clean spot in the prison courtyard before helping him sit down.
"Where's Angoulême?"
"She couldn't bear watching you suffer, so I sent her outside."
"Was that the only reason? I hope I didn't frighten her too badly."
"She'll be fine. She's spent the last few years running all over the place with me and has seen more horrors than she could ever count. She's simply not used to seeing you like that."
The two exchanged smiles.
Tapping his knee lightly, Regis said in a low voice, "Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for her. I can tell Angoulême is very happy now. She's finally found a place where she belongs."
Victor shrugged.
"There's no need to thank me. She means just as much to me. She's my little sister, my first greeting to this world...
"If we're judging by who was closer to her first, I should actually be the one thanking you. Thank you all for saving her from the gallows back then."
"Ho ho, that was Geralt's doing. I certainly wouldn't dare claim the credit."
Once again, the two smiled at each other.
Victor rolled his neck and smoothed back his hair.
"Stop working yourself up to it, Regis. I can tell there's something you want to ask me. It's fine, whatever it is, just say it."
"Was it that obvious?"
"When you first came out of the birdcage, perhaps you really were weak. But I don't believe a higher vampire needs this long to recover."
"Very well, Vic. I originally intended to wait until you brought it up yourself, but this concerns my friend Dettlaff..."
Regis rubbed his palms together.
"Back at the cemetery, when we discussed the Five Virtues Murders, I could tell you were holding something back..."
Victor rubbed his nose.
"At first glance, you appeared not to know who the victim corresponding to the fifth virtue, Compassion, was. You only mentioned that next month, when the victim representing the fourth virtue, Valor, was endangered, we could stop Dettlaff.
"But judging from how certain you were about the murder pattern, I believe you actually know who the victim of the fifth virtue is. You simply didn't want to say.
"And considering the structure of the crimes, Compassion is the murderer's true objective.
"If I take your deliberate silence into account... may I assume that if you revealed the identity of the Compassion victim, we would easily be able to determine the true identity of the person threatening my friend Dettlaff, the mastermind behind all of this?"
The witcher blinked.
"Excellent deduction. There's just one tiny flaw. Your choice of insult isn't anatomically precise. The culprit you're referring to doesn't have the requisite equipment to be that kind of bastard."
The higher vampire stroked his goatee.
"A woman!?"
Considering Regis's position in the matter, which was actually fairly close to his own, Victor slapped his thigh.
"I still haven't decided what to do about this. Sometimes knowing too much only ties your hands. Hearing your opinion might help, so let me tell you a story.
"But I need to emphasize something beforehand. Aside from the parts that can be verified, much of what I'm about to tell you consists of speculation, deduction, and so called prophetic foresight. What I'm telling you represents only what I have seen and how I understand it."
Regis pulled a notebook from the herbal satchel, visibly interested.
"Our kind is unaffected by illusions, and prophets do not exist among us. So being able to hear a prophet personally reveal the secrets of the future is, frankly, rather exciting. If you don't mind, I'd like to record our conversation."
"Of course. Though you'll soon discover that this prophet isn't nearly as impressive as you imagine. My prophecies don't even rhyme!"
Regis brought his hands together, clapped them once, and bowed slightly. It was an ancient gesture of etiquette once used when seeking wisdom from a prophet, and he performed it with meticulous precision.
...
Passing through the dark corridor, the higher vampire and the witcher returned to the surface and strolled through the courtyard of Tesham Mutna.
"I'll start with the conclusion. The victim corresponding to the fifth virtue, Compassion, is Anna Henrietta, Duchess of Toussaint.
"And the person threatening your friend Dettlaff and attempting to murder Anna Henrietta is her elder sister, Sylvia Anna.
"The intended outcome is that once the current ruler loses the people's support and dies, Syanna can appear at precisely the right moment and inherit the duchy with a perfectly legitimate claim."
They found a comfortable set of steps and sat down.
Victor pulled a bottle of red wine from his herbal satchel and handed it to Regis, a classic '70 Lafite.
"As far as I know, there's no trace of this Syanna at the Beauclair court. Why is the elder sister, who should originally have inherited the duchy, living in exile?"
Regis took a long swig of the wine as he casually voiced the obvious question in Victor's story.
Victor accepted the Lafite back and took a drink, his voice growing somber.
"It's quite simple. Lady Sylvia Anna was born during the Curse of the Black Sun."
"Ah..."
Regis, well versed in human history, immediately understood the source of the tragedy.
"What an unfortunate woman."
"Exactly. The prophecy of the mad mage Eltibald claimed that human civilization would ultimately be destroyed by sixty girls born during an eclipse, through some incomprehensible business involving a figure called Lilit."
"And her parents believed it?"
"Correct. Syanna suffered under the shadow of the Curse of the Black Sun throughout her childhood. Eventually, her parents decided to banish her from the duchy. The knights assigned to escort her out of Toussaint insulted and abused her along the way before abandoning the little girl in the wilderness to fend for herself.
"Think about it. A little girl abandoned in a forest during winter, walking barefoot for who knows how far, until she was finally taken in by a group of comparatively kindhearted bandits.
"Then, after years of hardship, she gathered her own forces and secretly returned to Toussaint, setting in motion an elaborate plan of revenge against those dishonorable knights from her past, as well as the coldhearted younger sister who had forgotten her.
"By carrying out her revenge through the Five Virtues Murders, Syanna could soothe the wounds in her heart while reclaiming what had been taken from her.
"Sounds rather inspirational when you put it that way, doesn't it? She's practically a female version of Hamlet!"
The herbalist shook his head and sighed.
"What a heartbreaking story. If she were a close friend of mine, I might even be willing to help her take revenge.
"But she made an extremely serious mistake. She should never have kidnapped Dettlaff's woman, and she most certainly should never have threatened my friend."
The moment Regis finished speaking, he noticed the peculiar half smile on Victor's face.
"What is it? Was something I said incorrect?"
The witcher picked up a small stone and tossed it far into the distance.
"No. In theory, everything you said was correct. There's simply one fact you don't know yet.
"During Lady Sylvia Anna's travels through various kingdoms, there was a period when she used the alias Rhenawedd. In Elder Speech, the name means..."
Regis's voice suddenly turned dry.
"...Queen's Child."
"Exactly. See? What a coincidence. It just happens to be the very same name used by Dettlaff's missing lover.
"So now things have become extremely troublesome. I despise the so called Curse of the Black Sun. I sympathize with Syanna for everything she suffered. I want her to survive, and I hope she can reconcile with her sister.
"So, Regis, can you tell me what Dettlaff's reaction will be if he discovers that the lover he's been searching for has deceived him?"
"Vic, I... cannot give you a definite answer..."
The herbalist's expression became deeply conflicted.
"Dettlaff is a simple vampire. He doesn't view matters with the same tolerance that I do.
"All I can say is that if he discovers he has been deceived... I believe matters won't merely become troublesome.
"They'll become catastrophically troublesome."
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